


Giving the Devil His Due

by HeartlandTower



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Dubious Consent, Emotional Manipulation, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3294410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartlandTower/pseuds/HeartlandTower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though Mr. Heartland dressed flashily, smiled and spoke loudly his cutesy catchphrases, Kaito saw through him to what he was just beneath the surface: a monster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Giving the Devil His Due

“I want to duel for you. For Haruto.” Kaito said, keeping his expression as neutral as he could manage. Once the words left his lips Mr. Heartland grinned, tapping his chin. The city illuminated behind him through the massive windows of Heartland Tower cast bizarre colors and patterns across the mayor’s already gaudy apparel. It would have been ridiculous, if Kaito didn’t know the kind of man Heartland was.

He knew he had made a deal with the devil.

For as long as he could remember, his father Dr. Faker had known him. Heartland hadn’t always been the mayor – his father had seen to that. A well-funded campaign, a rigged election, it wasn’t all that difficult. Kaito turned a blind eye to the power plays of his father and his lap dog, but he refused to ignore what started to go on in Heartland Tower, the monolith in the center of the city.

“My burning heart can’t stand to see children unhappy and without!” Heartland proclaimed loudly, and the city lauded him as a philanthropist; the truth was those children were being groomed into duelists, meant to serve Heartland: both the man and the city. The difference between Kaito and them was that they had no choice in the matter, orphans with no future aside from the one Mr. Heartland laid before them. Kaito was different; he volunteered. Chris had shown him the strength in dueling, and when Haruto’s sickness got worse the mayor had suggested collecting these special cards – these Numbers – would help heal him.

“Is that so? Your father will be most pleased.” Mr. Heartland turned from the view of the city through the window to face Kaito, spreading his arms wide. The mayor’s words and movements were always marked with panache; it was one of the things Kaito hated most about the man. It was a colorful mockery of what the man was truly like on the inside.

Heartland closed the distance between them and placed a heavy hand on Kaito’s shoulder. The feel of him made his skin crawl, but he endured it. This was a deal he needed to close, and Heartland would get what he wanted from him.

“Do you know how you can prove your loyalty to me, Kaito?”

“My father won’t like it,” he responded abruptly; he’d had the answer mentally prepared in his head for some time. It was no secret Mr. Heartland did more than oversee the training of the young duelists. Kaito saw it in the way Droite would subtly flinch in the man’s presence, the way Gauche would try and shield her from the mayor’s affections.

Apparently Heartland had an answer preloaded for this response too. “But you won’t tell him, will you Kaito?”

The tip of the mayor’s cane lifted Kaito’s chin upward, forcing their eyes to meet. Heartland went on, his voice soft yet somehow full of malice. “Your father needs me, and so do you. I know you want your brother to be well, yes?”

Mr. Heartland leaned forward into him, pressing down over him until his lips brushed Kaito’s ear. It took every ounce of his willpower not to strike the man to the ground. When Kaito didn’t answer him initially, he went on.

“Bow to me and I’ll make you a Numbers Hunter.”

Kaito knew he expected a physical response now, an affirmation of their arrangement. When Mr. Heartland lowered his cane and brought his face close to his own, Kaito didn’t protest. When the mayor kissed him and entrapped Kaito’s body with his arms, groping him with a dangerous hunger, Kaito let him. He never reciprocated, just let the man take what he wanted.

When it was finally finished, he felt sick. The taste of Heartland on his lips and tongue was foul, revolting. The sight of the man made his stomach churn, but Heartland seemed satisfied. He broke away from Kaito and readjusted his suit, the ridiculous mishmash of garish colors making the whole situation even more nightmarish.

Mr. Heartland smiled warmly and patted Kaito on the head, ruffling his hair up slightly. “Good boy; you made the right choice, Kaito. Report tomorrow to the sublevels and we’ll start your training~!” The singsong pitch had returned to Heartland’s words, but he ignored it and left the room without belaying how disgusted he felt.

Selling his soul to the devil? It was a high price to pay, and only after he left the room – and Heartland – behind him, did he exhale shakily and wonder if he had done the right thing. Maybe, maybe not, but Kaito realized it didn’t matter. He would do anything to protect Haruto, even this.

_Let Heartland build me up,_ he thought to himself, then managed a slight smirk. _One day I’ll use that strength to beat him down._


End file.
